The Awakening

This magnificent animal is one of a number of Lions in the breeding programme at the Big Cat Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa.

The enclosure he and his family are kept in is large enough for them to remain completely hidden from view if they wish to be, and on previous visits they where indeed nowhere to be seen, though finally I got lucky.

We showed up outside the enclosure about an hour before sunset and this handsome male appeared to have just woken up. Trouble was, due to the cloud cover and the lower position we were situated in, the light appear somewhat flat, so while I was happy to finally have an opportunity with this big cat I accepted the fact that ambient lighting wasn't going to enhance any of the images I was taking.

Then once again Mother Nature lent me Her supporting hand: A band of rich, golden light began filtering through gaps in the distant clouds, and this was the moment the King chose to stretch, rise, and go in search of something more interesting to look at than a photographer aiming a camera at him while repeatedly whispering, “Thank you Mother Nature, thank you so much!” ;^)